First thoughts: the Mexican fast food available here is so, so much better than Taco Bell. I have no idea why Taco Bell is so successful when relatively authentic food is so much more tasty. A Crunchwrap Supreme? A Mexican Pizza? A Nacho Cheese Gordita? No thanks. Give me a pork taco with diced onions and cilantro or give me … something from these places:

El Parasol is a small New Mexican chain. We liked the beef tacos and the guacamole. However, the tacos were pretty greasy, and the chicken taco was just OK. This is probably a great place to eat if you have a hangover.

Taco Cabana has locations in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. It’s the real deal, and we’re in love with it. The huevos rancheros are awesome and so are the breakfast tacos. We need to go again. The best part is the salsa bar — there are entire jalepeños available as garnish. Just a pile of whole jalapeños! It’s insane.

Billed as Alamogordo’s best business of 2011, we found this place to be just OK. It’s nothing special and probably not worth a visit unless you’re seriously in need of a taco fix. It’s standard, mediocre Mexican, and the venue has a weird vibe. Can’t recommend it. And $4 beers in the boonies? Nope.

While people on review sites seem to like it, we found this place mediocre as well. The chips and four salsas were good, The drink specials were great ($2.50 house margaritas from 2-6PM). The Hatch-grown chili relleno was tasty. But everything else (tacos, enchiladas, beans, rice, etc.) was standard mid-range mediocre. We don’t recommend this place either.

Chips and salsas, drinks: yummy; pretty much everything else: meh.

So, where have we had the BEST Mexican food on the trip so far? Eau Clarie, Wisconsin at Taqueria Sandoval. And this has led Lisa to the absolutely astute conclusion that with Mexican food, mid-range is mediocre. Either go high-end or bargain-basement. Don’t waste your time or money in the middle. We need to find some dives in New Mexico.

Seemingly a good value, but very, very meaty. So meat-tacular that you can’t pick up the tacos because they’re so full. We suggest you stick to the burritos. They’re big, but not too big, and most are under $5.

Read Our Book:

Read about Paul fighting off a charging bear with a Fat Tire beer can (kinda made up). And this: Lisa meeting a talking piece of poo in the middle of the desert (maybe that was dehydration). And we realize that the meaning of life is wrapped up in a motel waffle (this is probably true).

Just buying fresh food at some of the El Reys in Milwaukee is what I like. A new one just went into an old Sentry grocery building on 51st and Oklahoma. Clean, friendly clerks, and as always, the best tamales ready for carry out. Cialantro, 38 cents a bunch and I use to hate it…now can’t get enough!

That’s why the food truck craze (3 years behind LA and NYC) in PHX is so biased by excluding the authentic Mexican food trucks and favoring foodie white people (mostly). My favorite tacos are random trucks in Mexican worker areas.

When in AZ, head to any Rancho Market or Ranch Market (2 similar chains). They are grocery store megalopolises that have fresh tortilla factories inside, food to-go, sour crema in 8 flavors/nationalities in the deli counter by weight, every ingredient you’d need for real Mexican food.